Protest closes Pacific Avenue

STOCKTON - One man was arrested Saturday after demonstrators disregarded police instructions to stay out of the streets around Weberstown Mall, forcing road closures and triggering a large response from officers who lined Pacific Avenue in riot gear, authorities said.

STOCKTON - One man was arrested Saturday after demonstrators disregarded police instructions to stay out of the streets around Weberstown Mall, forcing road closures and triggering a large response from officers who lined Pacific Avenue in riot gear, authorities said.

The demonstration was one of many held throughout the United States a week after a Florida jury acquitted neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The Stockton demonstration included relatives of James Earl Rivera Jr., a 16-year-old who was fatally shot by police while evading arrest in 2010, and supporters of others who died in officer-involved shootings in Stockton.

About 50 demonstrators assembled near West March Lane and Pacific Avenue, some carrying signs that read "Justice for Trayvon," "Justice for James," and "No justice, no peace." One person held up a sign depicting side-by-side images of Martin and Rivera.

Rivera's mother grew emotional while speaking to a reporter, using a bullhorn to redirect her comments toward nearby officers who were standing in formation with helmets, face shields and batons.

"They shot my son 48 times with AR-15s," Dionne Smith-Downs said. "They should have used the billy clubs when they stopped my son. You didn't have to murder my son. My son deserved to live. Why is my son dead?

"I'm James Rivera's momma and I hope all of y'all see my face, because I'm not going anywhere. My son's blood is on the streets, and I am not going nowhere."

Protesters were first met with a modest police presence when the demonstration began about 2:30 p.m. A small group of officers handed out flyers that read: "The Stockton Police Department supports your right to free speech and to peaceably assemble. Due to the dangers posed to both you and motorists by this extremely busy intersection, we cannot allow persons to impede traffic during the exercise of your free speech. Please feel free to march and speak out on the sidewalk, but do not enter the roadways for safety purposes."

Authorities said protesters moved into roadways about an hour into the demonstration, prompting police to deploy more officers to the area. One man was arrested on suspicion of impeding traffic and refusing to identify himself to police, officers said.

Police closed Pacific Avenue between West March Lane and West Robinhood Drive for about two hours, making access to the Weberstown and Sherwood malls more difficult. More than 50 officers lined Pacific Avenue, shadowing the movements of the protesters and occasionally restricting their movements for safety reasons, police said.

"Same thing that happened to Trayvon," Smith-Downs said. "Trayvon went to the store. He bought a sweet iced tea and some Skittles. He had a right to go to the store and purchase some items. He had a right to walk home. Today, we have a right to assemble. We're out here exercising our rights, and I feel violated by all these officers."

Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for the Stockton Police Department, said the heavy police presence was necessary to ensure the safety of demonstrators and bystanders.

"We had received information there was going to be a demonstration at March Lane and Pacific Avenue, and the demonstrators had plans to take over the intersection and block traffic," Silva said. "Our department was not going to allow this to happen and let the demonstrators flagrantly violate the law, which would create major safety issues, not only for the demonstrators but also for vehicles and uninvolved pedestrians in the area."